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Working toward our goal of counting everyone in the census, including hard-to-count and historically undercounted populations, requires a wide variety of interconnected activities. The U.S. Census Bureau remains committed to looking for better ways to reach and count these populations in the 2030 Census and beyond.
As we prepare for the 2030 Census, we’re working to improve a number of interconnected activities, including how we reach out to encourage people to respond; the different ways people can respond; and how we collect and process data. These activities work together toward our goal of getting a complete and accurate count in the 2030 Census.
Toward this end, we’ve been actively engaged in dozens of research projects built on lessons learned from the 2020 Census, informed and affirmed by public feedback, and supplemented by ongoing small-scale testing. These efforts are paving the way to potential enhancements to the 2030 Census.
In two years, we’re conducting the 2026 Census Test to evaluate how well the enhancements we’ve researched and developed perform. It is the first of two major on-the-ground tests we plan in preparation for the 2030 Census.
Today, I’m excited to share our priorities for the 2026 Census Test and what we hope to learn. It’s an important step in preparing us to count everyone in 2030.
I’d like to begin by recapping our testing strategy. Our focus this decade is on enhancing, rather than re-envisioning, the 2020 Census design to achieve a complete and accurate count.
We’re seeking to build on the successes and address the limitations of the 2020 Census. For example, as I detail below, we’re streamlining how we gather data to make the experience as easy as possible for the public and to help us conduct the census more efficiently. And we’re exploring new and improved ways to leverage community engagement and build trust to increase participation in hard-to-count and historically undercounted populations.
Our testing strategy for the 2030 Census has two main components:
These components are designed to provide the information we need to develop, adjust and finalize our plans for conducting the 2030 Census.
As our first major field effort, the 2026 Census Test will help us assess enhanced processes and methods we’re considering implementing for the 2030 Census. To do this, we established clear criteria for determining which operational changes and innovations to test. They must:
Simply put, our objective is to verify if we can and should continue pursuing the key enhancements and innovations identified in our early research efforts.
Through the 2026 Census Test, we will evaluate proposed changes and innovations in six operational areas to improve feasibility and effectiveness. All of these will include aspects that directly or indirectly help us enumerate hard-to-count and historically undercounted populations. The goal is to improve these operational areas to help us achieve a complete and accurate count in the 2030 Census.
Here are highlights of what is being tested in each operational area:
By improving these operational areas, we hope to overcome barriers to participation and work toward the goal of counting everyone living in the United States in the census. I encourage you to learn more about what we’re testing in each operational area by reviewing the recording of and other materials from our April 30 webinar.
The next question many will ask is, “Where are you conducting the 2026 Census Test”?
The Census Bureau will use a rigorous and scientific process to choose the test sites.
The scope of the test – meaning the operations included in it – will lead to the criteria the Census Bureau uses to select the sites, including the ability to test the six operational areas outlined in this blog.
We are also carefully considering representation of hard-to-count and historically undercounted populations, geographic factors and cost efficiency to ensure the sites support the test objectives and the test has robust and meaningful outcomes.
The Census Bureau is now in the process of finalizing the list of optimal sites.
The next step will be to publicly announce the sites selected for the test. This summer, we plan to host another webinar to discuss those sites and the criteria and process we used to select them. We look forward to sharing these developments with you!
We hope you will stay tuned for updates on the 2026 Census Test. Until then, you can learn more about our preparations for the next census on our 2030 Census webpage. You can also subscribe to receive 2030 Census email updates and follow us on social media.